Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-11-26

"All right, Devil, the goat will be here
presently; keep quiet, there's a good Devilr'
And SO on, till the goat, taken from a
~neighboring kraal, did at last arrive, being
dragged bleating on to the scene by its
horns.
as it a black o~nes--is it a black ones''
shrieked the possessed.
Yes, yes, Devil, as black as night;'' then
aside, keep it behind thee; don't let the
Devil see it has got a white spot On its
rump and another on its belly. In one
minute, Devil. There, cut itsthrost, quick.
Where is the saucer?"
'The goat! the goatl the goat! Give me
the blood of my black goat l must have
it; don't you see / must have it? Oh! oh!
oh! give me the blood of the goat"
At this moment a terrified bait an
nounced that the poor goat had been sac
rificed, and the next minute a woman ran
up with n saucer full of the blood. This
the possessed creature, who was then raw
ing and foaming her widest, seized and
drdak, and vas instantly recovered, and
without a taste of hystcria, or fits, or being
possessed, or whatever dreadful thing it
was she was suffering from. She stretched
her arms, smiled family, and walked
quietly back to the dancers, who presently
withdrew in n double line as they had
come, leaving the space between us and
the bonfire deserted.
/ thought the entertainment (sic) was
now over, and feeling rather queer, was
about to ask She if we could rise, when
suddenly what took TO be a baboon came
hopping round the fire, and was instantly
met upon the other side by a lion, or rather
n human being dressed in a lions skin.
Then came n goat, then a nan wrapped in
an ox's hide, with the horns webbing
about in a ludicrous way. After him fol-
lowed a blesbok, then al impala, then a
koodoo, then more goats, and many other
animals, including a girl sewn up in the
shining scaly hide of a boa-constrictor,
several yards of which trailed along the
ground behind her. When all the beasts
had collected they began to dance about
in a numbering, unnatural fashion, and to
initiate the sounds produced by the respec-
tive animals they represented, till the
whole air was alive with roars ar hleat-
ing and the Kissing of snakes. tbs went
on for a long time, till, getting tired of the
pantomime, / asked Ayesha If there would
be any objection TO Leo and myself walk
INK lpulll " lllSDtCb lit una NOl1litN,
and as she had nothing to say against il,
we started, striking round to the left.
After looking at one or two Of the flaming
bodies, we were about to return, thorough
ly Disguised with the grotesque %weirdness
of the spectacle, when our attention was
attracted by one Of the dancers, a particu-
larry active leopard, that had separated
itself from its fellow beasts, and was
w%hisking about in our immediate neigh
bOrhood, but gradually drawing into a
spot where the shadow was darkest, equi-
distant between two of the flaming
mummies. Drawn by curiosity, we fol-
lowed it, when suddenly it darted past us
into the shadows beyond, and rs it did SO,
erected itself and whispered, Come in
n voice that we both recognized rs that Of
Ustane. Without waiting to consult me,
Leo turned and followed her into the outer
darkness, and !, feeling sick enough ut
heart, wen after them. The leopard
craw!ed on for about fifty PAGES suf-
ficient distance To be quite beyond the light
of the fire and torches-and then Leo came
up with it, or rather with Ustane.
ooh, my lord" | heard her whisper, $50
/ nave found thee. Listen! j am in peril
of my life from 'Shc-IChO-muSt-be-obeycd.'
Surely the Baboon has told thee how she
drove me from thee? love thee, my lord,
and thou art mine according to the custom
of the country. / saved thy life. My Lion
wilt thou cast me off nowY"
"Of course not" calculated Leo. 81
have been wondering whittier thou hadst
gone. Let us go and explain matters TO
the queen"
NAY. nay; she would Stay US. Thou
knowest not her power; the Baboon there,
he knoweth, for he saw, Nay, there is but
one way; if thou wilt cleave TO me, thou
must flee with me across the marshes even
now, and then ~perchance we may escape"
For Heavens sake, Leo l began,
but she broke in.
"Nay, listen not TO him. Swift-be swift;
death is in the air we breathe. Even now,
mayhsp, she heareth us;'' and without
more ado, she proceeded to back her argu-
ments by throwing herself into his arms.
AS she did so the leopard's head slipped
from her hair, / saw the three white fin
ger-marks upon it, cleaning family in the
starlight. Once more realizing the des-
perate nature of the situation, | was about
TO interpose, for ] knew that Leo was not
too strong-minded where women were
concerned, when-oh, horrorl-I heard n
little silvery laugh behind me. l turned
round. and there was She herself, and with
her Billaii and two male mutes. | gasped
and nearly sank to the ground, for knew
that such n situation must result in some
dreadful tragedy, Of which it seemed ex-
ceedingly probable to me that should be
the first victim. AS for Ustane, she uD-
twined her arms and covered her eyes With
her hands, while Leo, no knowing the
full terror Of the position, mere}S colored
up, and looked as silly as a mSln caught in
such a trap would naturaIly'do.
CHAPTER Xyy.1RIUMPH.
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